One Crazy Fiber Lady

Beginnings

First the important stuff, the job is going very well.  It is nice to be wanted for a change.  At my orientation I heard that they'd been looking for someone for a long time.  I'm really honored that they think its me.  I just hope I can live up to that kind of expectation.  I haven't done any programming yet, but spent the last two days getting my desktop computer ready.  It took over 7 hours today building the website.  Which, by the way, is a pretty nifty product.  The day is longer and I'll be on a later train home, making the evening shorter.  But honestly, for rewarding work in a healthy environment is worth the extra hour. 

After getting the twins down this evening, seeing as it is Tuesday, I pulled out the Schacht and that lovely BFL.  I could only manage one more length and have two left.  Here's a picture of where it stands now. I seriously have trouble seeing the difference between this and Sunday's, but didn't notice that until I'd uploaded the file to the computer.

I'm going to spare a picture of the second Monkey sock.  Honestly, it looks the same as the first sock, only not finished yet.  I turned the heel this morning and had half the foot done by the time I got off the train this evening.   That baby is going down tomorrow.

I will show the progress on the Granny Square Sock Yarn Leftover Blankie that is turning out to be ever so popular!

I've worked my way through 6 different yarns now and am onto the 7th.  I have the remote in for scale and yes, my stitch holder is one of Kat's barrettes.  She hasn't seemed to mind the non-traditional use for it yet, though I did expect her to.

I think I'm going to call it an early night.

Craft on!

Week End

Thanks to everyone for all their Last Day wishes.  It was so nice for it to be over!  I got another reminder during those last few hours of why I was leaving as the goofus director used his speakerphone to join a conference call that everyone else was on using their handsets and generated an echo as they spot.  It was lovely and now it is over.  Tomorrow morning I have orientation at the new gig.  I'm really looking forward to starting there.  I just have to remember to get on a different PATH train :)

The family spent a better part of the weekend on the boat.  We headed up after lunch on Saturday, relaxed for a bit and then went out for dinner.  I got a little loopy on margaritas.  MMMM.  I haven't had one in a LONG time and it was nice to have a good one.  On the rocks please, not that slushy version, and yes for ice.  Yum.

Today we took the boat out for a ride and afterward, we did some work with a few preschool skills books that I picked up at B&N last week.  We worked on Letters, Numbers and Same/Different.   She did amazingly well with the Same/Different.  Alex wasn't able to get the puzzle, but Kat scooted over and got it right off the bat.  He got frustrated and disappeared into the cabin with dad while Kat and I continued to work.

I never realized how smart she is.  She's really quiet and lets Alex lead.  He's mechanically bright, able to figure out how things work, like the child-proof tap on the water cooler that he got to work last year.  Kat only got it a few months ago, but he's been able to do it for almost a year.  I was pleasantly surprised.  We're definitely going to be working with these books more.

I hesitate to admit, what with the already overflowing sock yarn stash that I showed last week, but I've acquired more.  I can't pass up a sale nor not order from a new yarn pusher :)  I tripped on another yarn pusher:  Woolgirl.

From left to right:

• Lazy Perry Ranch in Periwinkle
• Mama Llama Bamboo Sock in Grand
• Union Center WhatNot Sock in Kitty's Eyes
• Woolarina Handpaint in Summer Harvest

I'd highly recommend WoolGirl.  Shipping was superfast and there was a really cute little sheepy stitch marker and a pack of woolwash (Soak) with my order.  I'm definitely ordering from there again.  There might have also been an order placed with Pick Up Sticks last week too but I ain't saying. 

Finally, since today is Sunday, there was spinning going on here.  I started on the second half of the BFL from Painted Skeins.  Unlike the first half, I've split this half in 1/5th's lengthwise.   I've made sure to keep them in the same orientation  so that I start each with the same end.  Should make for an interesting effect when plied together.  I finished two of the five lengths.  Unlike the first bobbin, you can actually see the various colors peaking through as there was less of each wound on.

I'm looking forward to finishing this up as I want to try something else.  I picked up the book, Spinning for Softness and Speed, and I really want to try it.  I saw it mentioned on someone's blog recently and ordered it off eBay.  I've read the first couple of chapters and am itchin' to try it.  I didn't want to do it in the middle of any of the current projects so I need to finish one.  Looks like the Schacht will be the first wheel freed up, now to find the right wool.  I think the processed CVM mellowing in the basement might be a good choice.

I think I'm going to turn in early.  I want to be fresh for the first day tomorrow. 

Craft on!

Last Day

It's here.  The long awaited, oft feared never to happen day: last day!  My J.Crew life clock is blinking red.  Time for carousel!

I got two more hours or so.  Time enough to clean passwords, cached files and the like off my desktop, pack up the last remaining doodads from my desk and get the flock outta here.  I'm looking forward to meeting Nancy for one more neighbor lunch before fleeing the East Village for "Way the Hell Downtown".  While I'm definitely going to miss neighbor lunches with Nancy, I'll be gaining new neighbors for lunch!  I'm really looking forward to Monday when I can get back to hacking code again.  I have orientation from 9-12 on Monday. 

Last night was fun as always at the SnB.  Believe it or not, I put away the knitting and pulled out the crochet blanket.  Yes.  I'm hooked on crochet.  Go figure.  Surprises me too.  I finished another color leftover last night.  Kristen gifted me with a bunch of sample skeins which are predominantly Claudia Handpaint.  Sweet.  I have two balled up and ready to go as the next to be added.  Thanks Kristen!  Taking advantage of the few minutes before having to exit into the rain and head to the station, I used the handy steering wheel...

I'm really loving this thing!

Have no fear, there will be knitting still.  It was way less humid today, even with the rain, and I returned to the monkey socks on the train.  I'm now into the 3rd repeat of 6 for the cuff.  Moving along nicely.

That's really about it for today.  Starting next week will be a new posting schedule as I doubt I'll be doing it again during the work day.  I'm going to try and set aside some time at night to write up posts.  If done regularly, they shouldn't be massive tomes updating weeks of activity.  We'll see what happens.   Thank you again for all your support during the job hunt and the commiseration with the soon to be former employer.  I really couldn't have done it without you.

Have a great weekend!

Craft on!

Going, going...

I just had my exit interview.  Let me first say that anyone who is an HR professional, please look away.  I had a horrible experience with my exit interview.  The meeting was kicked off with an opportunity to give any feedback and to explain why I was leaving.  We would then follow with an explanation of the benefits (of which I didn't need as in a previous life I was a benefits analyst) and COBRA.  So I started to explain that the reason I was leaving was because of the unprofessional, rude and otherwise undesirable behavoir by my director.  That was when she turned the meeting around on me.  Why didn't I say anything before?  Why didn't I tell the director that his behavoir was rude?  WHAT?  Oh sure, that would have made it a more comfortable workplace when I'm telling the director that he's rude.  How could they make it better if no one complains.  First I don't think they have the power to "make it better".  This is the ass' nature.  There is no changing it.  What's HR going to do about it?  Put a note in his folder?  What she did was make me feel unreasonable for being uncomfortable enough to look elsewhere without talking to her first.  I finally told her that I don't care whether so and so is bothered by his behavoir, the 4 people before me were unhappy enough to leave and so am I.  Whatever.  I'm done.  One more day.  Its not worth the energy.

In happier news, I checked out Tutor Time this morning as the wicked early time of 7AM.  Eew.  The center is gorgeous.  The security is phenomenal.  The program is wonderful and I think the kids will be happy there.  It is also quite a bit more expensive than the current place.  I'm beginning to seriously think that I'd been getting a bargain price.  I'm happy enough with the place that I'll be canceling the appt. I have for tomorrow afternoon at another center a bit further from home.  I crunched the numbers and can definitely swing it, but I will be knitting from stash more.  A new austerity budget regime is about to commence.  Two more years until public school.

Thanks to the help of the other bloggers on this wonderful internet, I finally found what I'm going to do with all the leftover sock yarn!  I saw this first when Beth posted about seeing one here.  Okay, I'm a hooker too.

I've been crocheting technically longer than I've been knitting.  Mom taught me to crochet first.  Probably a granny square then too :)  I have nightmares from the 70's of brightly colored ack-rylic granny squares being seamed together for just about everything under the sun.  No thanks.  But.  One big honking granny square blankie of quality sock yarn, count me in!  Is it bad that I'm looking at sock yarns to see how they would fit in to the blanket?  That center blue stuff?  That's the leftover of the Lorna's in the Jeans colorway.  Leftover after getting two socks from one skein.  He he.  Okay, anyone got leftover sock yarn they don't want?

What else?  Oh yeah, the first sock is definitely done (and there's a goodly amount of leftover ;) and the second is well begun though I won't bore ya with progress shots of it as they'll look alot like the first one.

As to the larger quantity leftover, I'm torn between adding it to the blankie or making pairs for the monkeys.  Grrr.

Anyway, beloved SnB tonight!  Woot.  Can't wait.  Tomorrow?  Last Freakin' Day!  woooooot

Craft on!

Around and Around

No soap opera moments here today.  At least I don't think so at the moment.  I have an early morning appointment tomorrow at a nursery/daycare center (Tutor Time - if anyone has experience with the chain please do chime in!) and another Friday afternoon.  I should be able to finish this project off before starting the new job Monday.  Have I mentioned that I START A NEW JOB on Monday? :)  Thank goodness. 

I've been sitting idle at work since last Tuesday when I deployed the last project I'd been working on.  Figures I get an email from someone a half hour ago regarding something that had been in discussion as a wish list item in APRIL.  They've finally compiled what they want, what format did I want it in.  Um. None ;)  I copied my original email, along with a reminder that Friday is my last day.  She'll have it to me by EOD.  What?  I thought the freakin thing was compiled already.  Geez.  I hope "Brand Creative" has signed off on this wonderful addition to the intranet.  This kind of project I don't even want to do.  HR wants a page linking to outside vendors.  oh yeah.  You need a developer to do simple html. No wonder they can't keep anyone here for more than a year. 

Okay, enough griping... this shitty job is almost done.  Since yesterday was Tuesday, I spun!  Amazing how fast bobbins fill up when you spin regularly!  Totally unreal!  So anyway, while watching yesterday's episodes of Ryan's Hope, I finished the second bobbin of the hand dyed merino on the Gem.

Still playing TV catch-up as I didn't get home from the Parent Meeting on Monday until rather late, I watched Hell's Kitchen while working on the Schacht.  I finished the first bobbin of the BFL and am ready to start splitting up the second half for some interesting stripey fun.

I didn't do much knitting yesterday.  The humidity was really unbearable.  Even worse today, especially after that torrential downpour this morning that totally futzed up the commute.  I took this picture yesterday morning using the TM dashboard location...

.. I've since finished the sock on the way in this morning and (everyone) immediately cast on for the second!  You can see that I went plain footed on this modified monkey sock.

I also managed to get a picture last night of the Striped Baby Sweater in that yummy Smooshy yarn...

It is such a cute little knit.  I'll have you know that I've been working in the ends as I go.  With the three active yarns for each row, the ends were making me nuts so I just had to get rid of them.  The colors in this picture are just a little bit off.  The orange isn't quite that orange, more a peach, and the others aren't quite so blue.  Maybe I can get a dashboard shot for true color representation :)

Craft on!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Just as the job thing had settled down, another monkey wrench was thrown into the works.  Last Tuesday I received a letter from the twins' Day-care/Nursery school inviting me to a parent meeting discussing the future of the center.  This meeting was last night.  Oy. 

For some background, the school leased space from a local Jewish Center (synagogue).  Unfortunately the congregation of the Temple shrank to the point where they could no longer sustain themselves and merged with another area Temple.  The building was put up for sale in June of 2006.  The sale finally went through this past June 1.  During the course of the negotiations, the school director tried repeatedly to make contact with the prospective owners (a Korean Church) but all she could get was assurances through the broker that they "did not want to disturb the community" and they "welcomed the revenue" the school brought in.  This all changed at a meeting on June 12 when they announced that they would not be renewing the schools lease which would have to be out Aug 31st.  Long story short, the director has not been able to secure another location within the time allowed by the Church and had to break the bad news to us last night.  There were tears in her eyes as she explained what had transpired.  Hers were not the only teary eyes. 

So barring a miracle, I've got to find a new nursery/day-care center for September.  I've spent the morning on the web and the phone calling the centers near me.  I have an appointment EARLY Thursday morning at one place to take a tour.  It sounds great on paper, with early drop off and even later pick up, provides lunch and two snacks a day, activities, kindergarten preparedness curriculum.  I'm just curious as to how big a premium this one comes with.  Good thing I'm getting a raise.  The bigger problem is that starting next week, I'm at a new job, so I need to get this settled and right quick.  I can't be taking time off right off the bat.  Geez.  It is always something isn't it? 

Craft on!

Weekend Update

Saturday I was treated to another birthday celebration.  Deb had the twins and me over to her house where she made us lunch, served a very yummy home made Grandma cake and provided entertainment.  She has an excellent recap as well as fab pictures!  She gave me two skeins of Koigu KPPPM for my birthday in a beautiful colorway.  Thanks Deb for everything! 

I brought my little gem with me over to her house and spun some of the hand painted merino that I bought in MD this year.  It is the peachy color stuff at the back of the pile here.  I got to look at these pictures more often as I totally forget what I have!  Kat has requested a sweater out of it, and with 1.5lbs, I can probably oblige her.  Doing the quick fold-back-on-self method of measuring, it will probably result in a 14wpi cushy merino yarn.  I wasn't able to get a good picture last night, but am close to finishing a second bobbin.  I put in about an hour on the second bobbin last night as Sundays are for spinning (along with Tuesdays).

On the Schacht, I've been working on the first bobbin of hand dyed BFL from Painted Skeins in the Stone Fruit Sunrise color.  I bought this fiber right after the last issue of Spin Off inspired me to approach hand dyed in a different way than is normal for me.  The Spunky Tulips I spun as per my old approach:  divide the roving into half and then just spin each half, ply together.  I love the yarn, but the results were a bit odd.  I'm split this BFL in half and am spinning it as is.  The other half will probably be split in thirds.  It is almost spinning itself.

I'm showing a bit of consistency in the colors that are drawing me in right now.  No longer the pink/brown/cream of the Neapolitan that held me in its grip for so long, but now the orange/yellow/pink/purples have me. 

Witness the Lorna's Monkey Sock in Bittersweet has those exact colors as well. I can also count two other sock yarns currently in the yarn basket that have the same colors too.  I'm going to have me some brightly colored socks!  I hit the heel on this sock this morning and one stop before mine on the PATH, I pulled the needle on the flap.  I took it back to the last circular round and have decided to reduce stitch count and do a plain foot.  I'm not a huge fan of patterns on the foot (cabled socks notwithstanding) and thanks to my good friend Ms. Right Ankle, I wear closed shoes a lot.  The texture both annoys the foot and is lost inside the sneaker.  It just makes more sense to do a plain foot.

Speaking of the sock yarns, I noticed that my basket is overflowing...

This basket is almost entirely sock yarn.  There may be a couple of skeins of lace weight in there for fun (including that yummy cashmere purchased at MASW), but really, it is almost entirely sock weight.  It should also be noted that this is not by far all the sock yarn.  There is a chest at the end of my bed that also contains a goodly amount of the stuff and honestly, that floor full that I flashed during the packing to move last year is still in a box in the basement.  There are probably a few skeins not in any of the aforementioned locations as well, and no way includes the box in my closet of leftovers that can either grow to be socks for the twins or get reused somehow in a scrappy blanket.

See that cone of yarn behind the CD and next to the basket?  That coffee with cream color?  That is a cone of 1/36NM cash/silk from Colourmart that is now the lead contender for the WRS.  I swatched it Friday night and really love it.  I'll have to get a good picture of it (camera batteries were dead and I honestly forgot about it last night when rounding up other shots) but having shown both the Lacis and the Colourmart swatches to first Deb and then Mom, we all agree that the cash/silk is the one.  I'm ready.  I'm ready. 

I really am getting closer to ready to cast on for that shawl.  MS3 is no longer one of my loves.  I'm really at a loss as to what to do with it.  I finished Clue 4 in plenty of time for 5.  The theme was revealed on Friday, as I'm sure you all know by now.  It is Swan Lake.  A beautiful theme, but the remaining part of the stole is going to form a wing.  A wing?  Ugh.  I decided to sit back and let others knit this so I can see what it looks like.  Having now seen it, I can't say as I like it.  Sure there's two more clues after this one and who knows what the edging is going to look like, but I really don't like it so far.  There is a stated alternative to knit clues 1-4 again and graft in the middle.   Except I'm not that enamoured with the rest of it and really don't want to knit it again.  I'm torn now between ripping the thing out entirely or creating my own ending for it.  At least it has all be very fast to knit so if I do rip, I don't feel as if I've wasted a lot of time.  Blech.

Either way, it is in timeout and I'm going to move forward on Tina, 7 repeats of the 9.5 are now done and finally cast on for WRS.  Though... there's always a though isn't there?... I'm tempted to use a slightly heavier cobweb (snicker - J&S 1-ply) and knit the Bridal Shawl as a warm up for WRS.  Decisions decision.

I did get over the inertia of which piece of lace to knit by casting on a baby sweater for my new niece.  It is the Simple Stripes Baby Sweater in the Dream in Color yarns. I've finished the first two stripes.  Sweet little sweater.  I'll probably use some of the leftover to knit her the Saartje's Bootees(pdf).  Those things are sooooo cute.

I'm tired today.  Kat crawled into my bed sometime during the night after I turned in and proceeded to have an accident.  Ugh.  1:14AM and I feel wet.  She's standing on the bed crying.  I get her changed, grab my pillow and head to her room.  She curls up in the usually spot on the floor and I took her bed.  Glad I got her a nice bed :)  Not quite as cushy as my pillow-top dream, but comfy enough.  Oh well.

Dad took Alex for a haircut on Thursday.  Got another summer buzz cut (timely too as the weather has been beastly hot).  I love this cut on him!

Deb is right, they don't look like toddlers anymore.  I blinked.

FOUR MORE DAYS!

Craft on!!

another day...

..another new sock. No I didn't finish a whole pair between yesterday and today. I just wasn't feeling the love for the colors of the yarn. I was groovin with the monkey lace though. So last night, as I expected I would, I procured new sock yarn at the MY SnB.

Yes I choose to ignore the fact that the sock yarn basket in my room is now beyond overflowing. Sock yarn might start counting soon.

Anyway, stash aside, I was lured by the bold colors of the newly re-stocked Lornas' at MY. This time I went for the skeins of 'Bittersweet' and pulled the needles out of the SnB dubbed 'band-aid colored' sock. Don't feel bad for it, it went home with Nancy to become something for her little girl. I then cast on for Monkey again. The treo is inable to correctly capture the bold colors but as I'm on the train the other options are few. I'm 4 repeats into the cuff and most definitelty feeling the love.

Five more days!

Have a great weekend.

Craft on!

Sock On!

We don't need no stinkin' sock machines.. certainly not in the land of the crazy.  As predicted, I finished off the first sock Tuesday night on the way home.  Now all together... "immediately cast on for the second one".  Good job!  I didn't get very far before I had to pack it away to get off the train and managed to only do the first round.

Yesterday I took the day off.  I had to get my car serviced and didn't want to do it over the weekend.  Add in that I've got NOTHING to do at work now and really, why should I?  I've already written all the documentation necessary to turn this job over to the next sucker fool Intranet Developer.  So I took the day off.  Two hours sitting in the Firestone waiting room got me from the toe to halfway through the short row heel.  Then another 45 minutes at Panera, escaping from the housekeeper took me to about 1.5" short of the cuff ribbing.  Last night as I was getting ready to settle down for some serious TV watching, I realized that the sock wasn't going to be enough knitting for the entire commute today and rather than finish it up and schlep along the supplies for the next, I finished it up during the Top Chef rerun.  (I finished Clue 4 of MS3 earlier in the afternoon before hiding at Panera.) 

So from start to finish, the second sock took one day, or really 4.5 hours or so.  As a recap, this is my basic sock formula, toe up, short row heel, 2x2 rib cuff.  I really can do these almost in my sleep.  Thanks to the yarn gauge, I got by with 52 total stitches on US1.  For all intents and purposes the pair was started Monday morning.  Sweet.  I should rename them the Evelyn Wood Speedknitting Socks.

Should I mention that I've started the next pair already?

(Dashboard Shot - patent pending)

I cast this one last night during Top Chef.  As a change from the basic socks, I'm going with a little pattern for these.  Monkey socks, take 2.   The yarn is the new Aussi Sock that I bought last week at Seaport Yarn after my first interview with the new employer.  Boy I love saying that!!!  BTW, got the official offer letter yesterday, signed it and faxed it back to them.  We're good to go :)  Anyway, the yarn is new for them and going for a bah-gain of $14 for the skein.  I picked up two skeins:  Faded Valentine and Sahara Desert.  This is the Faded Valentine.  Its got my current fad colors of pink/cream/brown but they are awfully muted.  I can't say as I'm loving the colors right now, especially after the last couple of boldly colored socks, but the yarn is very nice to work with.  I'll keep going with it, unless of course so new yarn waggles its ball band at me at MY tonight :)

Since Tuesday is for spinning, I spun Tuesday night.  I pulled out my dream wheel - the Russo - and got to work with the Foxfire Fiber Cashmere/Silk that I bought at MASW this year.  It hasn't always been a total pleasure to spin, it has sections that clump terribly, but it is pretty and I'm sure I can make something out of it.

I'm hoping to get enough in singles to knit the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style. 

That's really about it for today.  I think I'll take advantage of the lack of work and catch up on the 720 posts I haven't read yet in Bloglines!  Y'all have been really busy!  I'm glad I'll be able to read all that instead of just resetting at 0 :)

Craft on!